sound walk september awards

A sound walk, or walking piece, is any walk that focuses on listening to the environment, with, or without, use of technology, or adds to the experience through the use of sound or voice. This can include a scripted or choreographed score or work that has additional audio elements.

It is unlikely that the jurors can experience a site-specific work in-situ. Therefore, it can be difficult to assess a piece that is designed for a particular place, without physically being present. To somewhat ameliorate this, creators can add third-party links describing their work, and can invite others to write about their experiences ‘consuming’ their work, all within our website.

In a broader context, at the very heart of locative media, is the power of the relationship between the subject matter and place. This is no different for sound walks, as a subset of locative media. It needs to be acknowledged that submitted pieces do not operate on a level playing field. This can mean that a submission that is perhaps technically inferior, perhaps due to the context under which it was produced, or for other reasons, could be considered more eligible for an award, for certain other reasons.

The Online Jury and Grand Jury review submitted sound walks against the following criteria:

Emotional impact - The work is engaging, and challenges, or deepens, our understanding of sound, place, mobility, or form.

Relevant - The work addresses critical current issues, urgent contemporary discussion, or new research. This could mean that It addresses moral issues, It stretches the consumer’s imagination, or It is well described.

Production quality - The sound has high fidelity, that is, the audio is of ‘good’ quality. Visuals, if used, amplify the aims of the audio content.

Locative - Site, or location, is intrinsic to the work.

Insightful - The work reveals new information, unheard voices, hidden audio texts, untold histories, etc.

Accessible - The work is accessible, has a low barrier to access, for individuals with different mobilities.

Usability - The work is easy to use, the interface is straightforward to understand.